SA company first in Africa to produce 'no-kill' meat
A South African company has become the first on the continent to produce lab-grown meat.
The Mzansi Meat Company started up about two years ago. Co-founder and chief operating officer Tasneem Karodia (31) said they have been funded by South African and overseas investors, most of whom have an interest in the environment, animal welfare and health.
Growing meat in a lab begins with a fairly simple procedure, Karodia explained.
"We take a biopsy from an animal and the biopsy's really kind of the size of a peppercorn. We usually take it from the shoulder with some muscle and fat. And it's quite a small process. It takes five minutes and the animal is up and running within an hour," she said. "And from there we process it in a lab. We do a few things to make sure that it works and continues to grow."
Replication
She said the company replicates the same conditions that are in a cow, just outside of the cow. So, for instance, the meat is put at 37 degrees Celsius because it's a mammal, and it is given sugars and amino acids.
"When we're at a large scale, what this looks like is not really a lab but it looks like a brewery," Karodia said. "So, cells will grow in steel vats like your beer grows."
She said because cells grow quite flat, the company is not able to grow steaks, so instead it opts for minced meat to make burgers and sausage.
At a barbecue (braai) restaurant called Shisa Nyama in Woodstock, Cape Town, a woman behind the counter said she would be keen to try the cultivated meat once it becomes commercially available.
But a customer said he's not so eager. "What about people's health? Better for the environment yeah, fine, but what about people's health? Yeah, no, I wouldn't," he said.
New flavours
Karodia said Mzani is hoping to get the go-ahead from the South African government to sell its products to restaurants in 12 to 18 months.
For now, she said, the target market is South Africa, but the company is also considering other parts of the continent.
The World Economic Forum has reported that cultured foods, also known as cell-based foods, are expected to turn the global food system as we know it on its head.
The cultured meat market is estimated to reach an eye-watering US$25 billion by 2030 according to McKinsey, but only if it can overcome hurdles such as price parity and consumer acceptance. To do so, significant innovation in the science behind these products will be crucial for the industry’s growth.
Dutch scientist Mark Post unveiled the first cultivated meat burger on live television in 2013. Two years later, the first four cultivated meat companies were founded. The industry has since grown to more than 60 companies on 6 continents, backed by more than US$450 million in investments, each aiming to produce cultivated meat products. Dozens more companies have formed to create technology solutions along the value chain.
Decades of accumulated knowledge in cell culture, stem cell biology, tissue engineering, fermentation, and chemical and bioprocess engineering preceded the field of cultivated meat. Hundreds of companies and academic laboratories worldwide are conducting research across these disciplines to establish a new paradigm for manufacturing commodity meat products at industrial scales.
Voanews
The Mzansi Meat Company started up about two years ago. Co-founder and chief operating officer Tasneem Karodia (31) said they have been funded by South African and overseas investors, most of whom have an interest in the environment, animal welfare and health.
Growing meat in a lab begins with a fairly simple procedure, Karodia explained.
"We take a biopsy from an animal and the biopsy's really kind of the size of a peppercorn. We usually take it from the shoulder with some muscle and fat. And it's quite a small process. It takes five minutes and the animal is up and running within an hour," she said. "And from there we process it in a lab. We do a few things to make sure that it works and continues to grow."
Replication
She said the company replicates the same conditions that are in a cow, just outside of the cow. So, for instance, the meat is put at 37 degrees Celsius because it's a mammal, and it is given sugars and amino acids.
"When we're at a large scale, what this looks like is not really a lab but it looks like a brewery," Karodia said. "So, cells will grow in steel vats like your beer grows."
She said because cells grow quite flat, the company is not able to grow steaks, so instead it opts for minced meat to make burgers and sausage.
At a barbecue (braai) restaurant called Shisa Nyama in Woodstock, Cape Town, a woman behind the counter said she would be keen to try the cultivated meat once it becomes commercially available.
But a customer said he's not so eager. "What about people's health? Better for the environment yeah, fine, but what about people's health? Yeah, no, I wouldn't," he said.
New flavours
Karodia said Mzani is hoping to get the go-ahead from the South African government to sell its products to restaurants in 12 to 18 months.
For now, she said, the target market is South Africa, but the company is also considering other parts of the continent.
The World Economic Forum has reported that cultured foods, also known as cell-based foods, are expected to turn the global food system as we know it on its head.
The cultured meat market is estimated to reach an eye-watering US$25 billion by 2030 according to McKinsey, but only if it can overcome hurdles such as price parity and consumer acceptance. To do so, significant innovation in the science behind these products will be crucial for the industry’s growth.
Dutch scientist Mark Post unveiled the first cultivated meat burger on live television in 2013. Two years later, the first four cultivated meat companies were founded. The industry has since grown to more than 60 companies on 6 continents, backed by more than US$450 million in investments, each aiming to produce cultivated meat products. Dozens more companies have formed to create technology solutions along the value chain.
Decades of accumulated knowledge in cell culture, stem cell biology, tissue engineering, fermentation, and chemical and bioprocess engineering preceded the field of cultivated meat. Hundreds of companies and academic laboratories worldwide are conducting research across these disciplines to establish a new paradigm for manufacturing commodity meat products at industrial scales.
Voanews
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